What’s more, most Republicans getting a vote don’t have to run for re-election until 2028, and some won’t again at all, meaning they couldn’t be punished for their vote even if it was made public.
A similar right-wing pressure campaign backfired this year in the House of Representatives when Trump’s allies favoured Ohio Republican Jim Jordan to become the Speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted.
Senator Rick Scott of Florida speaking at the 2024 Republican National Convention.Credit: AP
This ended up emboldening some members to block Jordan – in what was a public ballot – resulting in Mike Johnson emerging as the dark horse who ended up getting the gavel.
McConnell’s departure will mark the end of an era for the 82-year-old Republican stalwart, who has led his party in the Senate for 17 years – more than any other leader in GOP history.
His resignation comes after he twice froze up while making remarks in public, raising questions about his ability to continue to carry out the duties of his high-powered job.
Whoever becomes the new leader will wield significant power come January after Republicans wrested back control of the Senate from Democrats at last week’s election.
The Republican Party will control both houses of Congress when Trump takes office in January, Decision Desk HQ projected on Monday (US time).
This will enable Trump to push an agenda of slashing taxes and shrinking the federal government.
On the domestic front, Trump is set to appoint his former immigration advisor Stephen Miller – the architect of the plan for mass deportations – as deputy chief of staff for policy.
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Trump has selected Republican senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, sources told Reuters. This puts the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve in America’s top diplomatic role.
The president-elect has also named former Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief Tom Homan as his “border tsar”, saying he would be “in charge of all deportation of illegal aliens back to their country of origin”.
New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a former moderate Republican who has shape-shifted into a hardcore MAGA loyalist over the past few years, has been nominated as the new US ambassador to the United Nations – a role that former presidential rival Nikki Haley held in the first Trump administration.
As the House Republican conference chair, Stefanik is the highest-ranking woman in Congress and has become one of the most outspoken supporters of Israel, garnering national attention as she led congressional hearings about university presidents’ handling of protests on college campuses.
Elise Stefanik speaking during the Republican National Convention in July 2024.Credit: AP
“She will be an incredible ambassador to the United Nations, delivering Peace through Strength and America First National Security policies!” Trump said in a statement.
Fellow New Yorker Lee Zeldin, a former GOP congressman, has been tapped to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
“He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet,” Trump in a statement.
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